Female Unemployment Duration in Pakistan – A Survival Analysis

Abstract

Female unemployment in Pakistan is very high in contrast to its neighboring countries. The finding of previously available literature concludes that staying out of the labour market for longer durations causes a lower possibility of getting a job again and for females; the probability is even lower compared to males. This study examines the unemployment situation and its duration, forcing females to drop out of Pakistan's labour force. Numerous factors are accountable for the higher inactivity rate of females in the labour market. Some examples are low education level, higher age, home responsibilities such as taking care of elders and children, spouse job status, marital status, and non-availability of job-specific knowledge. Although in the case of Pakistan, literature shows many causes of higher inactivity of female unemployment, it does not focus on the time estimations and calculate it in days or months to figure out how long a female take to get back on a job once she becomes unemployed. More specifically, the aspects which determine unemployment are unavailable. Kaplan-Meier Survival analysis has been performed to assess the research by employing the data on the labour market and socio-economic variables from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) source of 2014-15. This study can help policymakers to figure out the duration of female unemployment, prevalent in the labour market for females in Pakistan.